The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, May 26, 1880, Image 1
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ABBEVILLE PRESS & lANNEIi: "
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BY HUGH WILSON AND H. T. WARDLAW. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 1880. V NO. 51. VOLUME XXV
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1 - - ' m.iiptvtrtdti.o f TIia Dawn Will Come.
Language of Flowers.
" In eastern lands they talk in flowers,
Ar.d they tell in a garland their loves and cares;
liioh flower that blooms in their garden bowers
On its leaves a mystic language bears."
? Perdval.
The pretty red rose is an emblem ot love ;
The snowball, thoughts of heavei above;
The honeysuckle implies I dream ol thee,
And rosemary, always, remember me.
Arbor vit? denotes unchanging friendship;
My only hope, the American cowslip;
Declare your love, says the tulip tree,
And juniper replies, I live for thee.
Gloxinia tells ot love, at first sight;
Sweet pea says, meet me by moonlight;
Dead leaves indicate a heavy heart;
Variegated pink, lorever we part.
Let us part friends, says the trumpet flower.
Primrose answers, your friend for an hour.
|[ Plum bloom says, keep your word.
^ And rose geranium, thou art preferred.
Appie oioom HSK.S, wilt uiuu uo miuo .
Peach bloom replies, my heart is thine.
The dandelion is a Ray coquette,
And modesty dwells with the white violet.
Swef,t William pays, let our friendship end.
Snowdrop sighs soltly, I'm not a summer
triend.
. .'Balloon vine proposes to kiss and make up,
But ingratitude dwells in the bright buttercup.
I surmount difficulties, is the mistletoe's song;
Woodbine's chorus, I have loved thee long.
Tho lilac thrills with love's first emotion,
And heliotrope implies only dovotion.
Petunia says, your presence soothes me;
Ioe plant replies, your looks freeze me.
White rose whispers, my heart is free,
And white clover ever thinks ol me.
Sensitive rose, like h pretty coquette,
' bays, to young too leave my mother yet.
Mine through sunshine, storm and snows,
Is written ail over the perpetual rose.
."Blue iris bring-i a message lor you,
.'Korget-mo-uot denotes love tender and true.
Blue violet. is faithfulness; harebell, griei;
. And passion flower happy in religious beliei.
Our souls are one, pays the beautilul phlox;
Constanoy abides with pretty avarl box.
Of love in a cottage Portulaca doth tell,
And gratitude is tound in Canterbury bell.
Bonds is expressed by blue morning-glory;
Nobility of character by magnolia grandifiora.
The amaranth denotes unlading love,
And insincerity blights the pretty foxglove.
True friendship is lound in Virginia stock.
. Ambition 9ito high in the bright hollyhock.
Compassion attends the bleeding heart;
And scarlet pua asks, must you ilepnrt 7
% #
We find lasciuation always in lern.
Sympathy in balm, and life in lucernc.
Then gather a wreath trom the garden bowors,
And tell the wish of thy heart in flowers.
? Chicago Ledger.
THE BRIGANDS OF ASCOLI.
I was sittinc with a brother officer
enjoying the delicious repose that one
ieels after a fiitiguing day's work, when
I Was agreeably ordered to Ascoli, to
look after the brigands, who had there
been committing ail sorts of atrocities.
We arrived at Ascoli in high spirits,
and proposed to make our first search
on the morrow. At Ancona we were
warned of a strateprm which the brigands
were practicing. Ten or a dozen
ofth>m would disguise themselves?as .
?Hrtn.-Jo iroorinrr t)io
fjri 3VU3 JXiCUUIUg, tilt i uau.1, ntaiii.w*\.
k usual blouse and short knee breeches
1 of the professed road-mender, but unI
derneath their blouses they were armed
1 with pistols and knives.
, I was glad to know this, because to
be forewarned is to be forearmed. J
only wished that we had arrived a few
days sooner, fo- we might have saved
a young wife from being slain on her
wedding day. As the facts are short,
this may be the first anecdote of our service.
Two young peoDle. peasants, were to
be married on a certain day, and it was
known that after the ceremony, leavetaking,
etc., the husband would convey
his new wife to h?r future home, situated
in a village some distance up the
mountain. The brigands?this very
troop who had assumed the disguise?
became aware of the fact, as also of the
time when the unsuspecting victims
might be expected.
Thnrr noma art/1 r\v10 r? f iho rAQ^_
JL uvjr uiivA vu^ vi wuv * vmm
menders coming up to the side of the
vehicle, said:
"A trifle, beautiful .ady, for the love
of the Virgin."
The young wife in the generous impulse
of her new joy, took out her purse,
never doubting the road-menders?for
as a general thing they are honest?and
was in the act of giving the pretended
beggar her simple donation, when their
chaise was* surrounded by these disguised
brigands.
" Her husband was stunned by a blow
on the head, and she, the wife, -was
lifted out of the chaise and heid while a
- ' general search was made of both their
persons. The husband was Uyught
dead, and wps left on the road. When
he regained his senses the sight which
met Lis gaze was too dreadful to describe.
On the ground, not many paces from
mm, my ui? wiic^ uei pretty unuui
finery all dabbled in blood, iier dress almost
torn into shreds, the earrings torn
from her ears, the finger whereon was
her wedding ring and the usual heavy
keeper cut of.
The horse and chaise had disappeared,
probably transporting the brigands
away from the scene of one of the most
cruel murders which the annals of
brieandage can furnish.
The husband was discovered by a
priest and a herdsman, and conveyed to
the nearest vilJage; but, although he
seemed to be in a state of almost hopeless
idiocy, still, when the priest took
l. \ i.u. i J i j u: r
mm uy L>ie uanu wj leau iiiiu away irom
the pitiable scene, he would not move,
hut, pointing to the body of his murderea
wife, which the herdsman hadarraneed
with as much decency as possible,
he refused by the stoutest resistance
to move without h?r.
They were, therefore, obliged to leave
him, and go and get assistance to remove
the poor creature to the village.
They buried the poor murdered girl in
the churchyard of that far-off Italian
. village of the Appenines, tho husband I
r having been conveyed home to his
friends.
We took but one day at Ancona for
preparation and rest, and were astir betimes
the near morning. I took witii
me some of my men, upon whose coolcess
and courage I could depend, and
we trade our way toward a part of the
mountain side where I had observed
hat the smoke curled ud over the trees.
I found, as I expected, a large and
prosperous-looking farmhouse, as to
size. The place bore the marks of a recent
disturbance; for, while the house
itself, the pretty vine-covered windows
and door were in perfect order, the
out houses, stables, etc., were some deprived
of their doors, and some hanging
by one hinge.
Our appearance seemed to make a stir
in the farmhouse, and I observed, as I
walked up to the door, that a tall young
man. a son, I suppose, of one of the
women by whom he was standing,
seemed agitated and whispered some
words to his mother, to which ?he
nodded her head several times.
I called together my men, and we
preceeded to the shadows to a huge
overhanging piece of rock, which gave
shelter from the sun. Here we arranged
? to take our noon-day refreshment and
siesta, under its welcome shade, which
was very pleasant after a march under J
a.June sun in Italy; ior it was nign
noon, ami not a cloud broke the deep
clear blue of the sky.
My mind dwelt on the strange circumstance
at the farmhouse, and not easily
explained conduct of the inmates.
While in the midst of my meditations,
my ears caught the sound of footsteps,
and, turning the corner of the deep
mountain-path, two carbineers came in
sight, and I told one of them my surprise
at the conduct of the woman at
the farm, to which he replied:
"Signori Ufliciale, I can easily explain
the conduct of those poor people;"
and, seating himself on the cthss, he
gave the following explanation:
When the brigands make a requisition
on a farmhouse, their conduct differs
from their unusual treatment of
travelers or strangers. The first thing
is ig mase tin onbiaugnt un tuc nuim.nj.
They next enter the house; and no one
thinks of refusing them, because in
these mountain districts the houses are
so distant that help from without is
never thought of. Often there are only
the mistress of the house and the females
at home, the men being out at their
labor.
The first thing demanded is jewelry,
for the Italian peasant woman, when
she has any money, immediately goes to
a jeweler to convert it into earrings,
bracelets, necklace and a huge gold
cross pendent from the same. These are
of the very- finest gold. .
1 have seen a large-boned, brown
neasant woman, on a festal holiday,
Pressed in a rough homespun dress, with
earrings reaching nearly to her shoulders;
a neck upon which was a huge
goitre, encircled with a necklace of
chastd gold beads, so large and so costly
that it might have graced the neck of
some princess, and who might well envy
her the possession of the same.
Resistance would only lead to violence;
so the poor woman parts with
her fortune. Not a drawer or corner is
left unsearc'hed; and, with their hands
and pockets full of their ill-gotten
wealth, the brigands prepare to act the
last scene of this miserable drama.
When the cupidity ot the brigand is
satisfied, and he has got all there is to
have he takes hold of the master of thr
house or farnt, and, leading him out
into the open air, tells him to take leave
of his family and to confess himseli, for
he is about to die!
"But why?" says the agonized an<i
robbed man; " I have let you take all."
But the words are wind; and, after
knp on offAmVino- Ioutto nf hie
lie iiuo taacu au iviti v v? mu
wepping wile and family, be is blindfolded,
and bis bands tied behind bis
back.
Now the click of a pun or o':her firearm
is heard, and the two who are to
be the executioners are brought into
position. The wile is there?the children
have fled in terror; but the poor
wife holds out her one hand to the husband,
while with the other she covers
her poor face to shut out the fearful
sight. And now all seems about to
finish, when the capo walks up to the
kneeling man, and, taking the bandage
from his oyes. he says:
"If you will take the oath which I
shall dictate, I will give you your life,
/or the sake of your wife and chil- dren."
The kneeling man raises his eyes to
the clear sky above him, which he had I
thought to have looked upon for the
last time, ;md, putting his hands together?which
had been unbound?he
prepares to say the oath which is dictated
to him. He is laid under numerous
pains and penalties. And now his
wife and children are clinging to him
with ail the lively and emotional
affection of the Italian. The fear of a
terrible death has passed away, ana his
sturdy arms tike in one fatherly embrace
all his dear ones.
Such was the explanation which I
heard from the carbineers. I understood
at once the flat denial of any
knowledge of the brigands. The people
dared not tell; because, if they did, before
twenty-four hours, not only the
father, but the whole family would
be ruthlessly butchered. This has
really happened more than once or
twice.
Thanking the men for their civility,
and seeing that by this time the sun was
on the decline, I gave the word and we
were again on our way.
We examined diligently ev?ry turn
and fissure that we saw on our path, but
were surprised to see no trace of brigands.
when suddenly, on turning round
a projecting ridge of rock, we came upon
a stirring scene.
Imagine, if you can, asortof room cut
in the rock, but with many a graceful,
flowering vine hanging over and between
the crevices ol the rocks, whence
riMrlv Hvnr\c nmtpr trif?VlpH lilrp oi Irpr
to the mossy ground. Here, tightly
bound, and possibly meant for some
torturing death, were five men, three of
wnom were English and two Germans:
The brigands?more than twelve in
aumber?were for the most part kneeling
on the jcround, occupied in searching
the knapsacks and the persons of
the victims, as also a good-sized traveling
bag, from which oneofthe brigands
had abstracted a fine white embroidered
shirt, and was proceeding to array himself
in it. This was t he chief. I cannot
describe the alarm, tho exclamations of
surprise, which broke from the brigands,
and may say the groans of relief which
came from the captives.
A sharp encounter took place. Three
of the brigands lell wounded, but not
mortally, also some of my men; but I
naa tiie pleasure 01 scnaing, unaer a
strong escort, aided by the carabinieri,
nine of the gang to Ancona, there to re
ceive the reward of their crimes; for
this capture brought forward many persons
to certify to dark deeds done by
these ferocious freebooters.
Some time after this, when we were
stationed at Ascoli, ? report of fresh
atrocities *had lately made us increase
our diligence, when we heard that a
certain country house was to be attacked
the following right; the house
to be plundered and burned, the men
killed and the women carried off by the
brigands.
On our silent way toward the place
we met a miserable, ill-looking man,
whom I would rather not have met on
the lonely hillside. I noticed that the
usual courteous salute which a traveler
generally returns was wanting on this
occasion; and, on passing our men, he
re;r:tced his steps, and presently we
heard a low whistle thrice repeated.
VVLilUU, 11UU1 CA^UiiUUV-C, X IVUC w tu uu a
danger signal.
I, however, quickened my pace, and
we soon arrived at the house. I placed
my men, and, taking my own position
and giving my brother officer his. we
waited.
Night came on, and with it our work.
We had scarcely arrived at our post
when we found that, sharp as we had
been, the brigands had been beforehand
with us. A suppressed shriek, as from
someone whose month was held, was
distinctly heard, and then a loud malediction
in Italian; for I was close
under the wall at the lelt side of the
house.
I soon gave the word, and at a quick
rinAn nnoonri lin *-v fVi a f? /-% v? f rvT tKn li/Mlcn
J/itV-C U|? \,KJ H1C X1UUU \Jl VllM UVUOl/
and demanded, once, twice and thrice,
admission in the name of the kins, and
receiving no answer we made an entrance
as we could by force of arms.
What a sight met our eyes! On the
ground still in death lay an old man,
tearfully mutilated, his ears, his lingers
and his nose being cut off. The wife, as
I supposed her to be, was bound hands
and feet in her chair, her gray hair
dabbled in blood from a wound in her
forehead. She had seen her husband
murdered before her eyes. Two youth
of fourteen anri sixteen years of age lay
huddled together in the corner of the
room. Poor boys, they were fearfully
cut and bruised, and the younger, 1
found, was quite dead.
A woman, whom I supposed to be the
servant, was bound to the post of a bedstead
; but, ah! there was too much of
satisfaction in those deep-set, b!n<
cruel eyes to allow one to think for
moment that she was a victim- N<
tli is was the traitor, the household sp
the betrayer of those who fed ar
trusted her; and to save her from su
picion, her companions in guilt hf
bound her.
But where were the brigands? I headt
my men up the broad steps which 1(
to another apartment, and There we four
them. The contents of boxes, closet
etc., were all in coufusion on thefloo
and filling every spare chair and tabl
partly ready to be taken away.
After a brief resistance some we:
bound; three were in a little ante-roon
where we had driven them at the poii
of the bayonet, leaving our sentinels 1
guard tnem:two more mun were i?i
side by side with two of my poor fe
lows, one of them wounded very bad!
in the lee, and one of them in the sid<
but we had disarmed all, with the e:
ception of three, who made good the
escape from the window.
The captured brigands were sent I
Anr^ona, and all suffered the penalty i
their crimes
Some Valuable American Coing.
The coin collectors are among the ii
dividuals who realize the impulse i
improved times. They report that tl
"craze for coins" has revived to
wonderful extent. Old numismatics a
taking more interest in their hobbie
new ones are into the field, and, as
result, coins are growing scarce ar
prices daily tendine upward. Amor
the coins for which there is now a ere;
demand are the dimes, quarter-dolla
and halt-dollars of ,1879. Only $15,(M
of these coins were issued from the min
whereas the average issue of previot
years has been larger. Collectors ai
paying seventy-five cents for the ha
dollars; thirty-five cents for the qua
ters and twenty-five cents for the dim
of 1*79, while the figures obtained t
the dealers from their private custon
ers are nearly twenty-five per cent. 5
advance of buying prices.
The articles relative to the old ar
rare coins published in the record ov<
a year ago have had the effect of ui
earthing a couple of extremely rai
specimens which are now in the posse
aion of E. Mason, a numismatist of th
city. One of these is a Washington si
ver dollar of 1796, which is believed I
be the only one in this country, and 1
which a historv is attached.
Wuen Washington was in the heigl
of his popularity it was proposed 1
place his bust upon the coinage. Til
was done in some silver ana copper issu<
of 1791-92; but Washington objected ?
vigorously that the coins were witl
drawn from circulation. Again in 171
it was proposed to place his "head upo
the dollars, but once more lie objecte<
and the idea was not persisted in. Tw
or three coins were, however, struc
olF, and the one just now turned up i
of the number. Where the others wei
io nobody knows, but this one has bee
nthe possession of a Schuylkill count
farmer for over sixty years. The obven
has a military bust of V ashingtoi
facing left, surrounded by the |legen<
' Washington, President," and the dal
1796. The head is surrounded with
1 1 _?i. ;Q
iiiuruj wres-im. va tuc it?uov- io
spread-eagle, surrounded by fiftce
stars. A broad milling extends aroun
the margin. The obrerse has the nam
"Birch " in very small letters beneat
the head. This was the designer, wh
was the father ol the pi-esent auctionec
of that name.
The other coin ie also new to the ur
mismatic world, which has been gei
erally ignorant of its existence, a
though it was stated in Boston reccntl
that such a coin was extant. It is
Confederate gold piece the size an
weight of two dollars and fifty ceni
gold coin, for which it was probabl
intended. The obverse has a naked bui
of Jefferson Davis, with the nams in
circle. On the reverse is a laur
wreath, with the date 1861. Aroun
this is the legend: "C. S. A. tin
president." This piece has just bee
t i- * ^ i J T>:~V
orou^ui IO ll^Lib uy a, icsiucuu ui x^iui
mono, Va., who values it at $10
Whether it was struck as a sample coi
or intended as a medal is a questio
which numismatists will now attem{
to solve.?Philadelphia Record.
Talking Across the Country.
It is really pleasant to note as yo
travel across the republic from Mair
to Colorado, how the topi? of conve
sation changes at State lines, just as it
expression ot faces and styles ot cloth*
gradually undergo an alteration. Dow
in Maine, when I got away from tl
coasts, I heard lumber and " the woods
all the time. The men were " in tl
wood," or the man who talked to yc
had just come out of the woods. The
you got to the coast, and t-verybod
fished and you dreamed of dorys an
hake and haddock and things that yc
never heard of before. When you go I
Bath you begin to pick up all manner <
ship carpenter's slang. Then you con
"Watir Vnrtr fir?H r?nmmprr?i<
travelers filled the air with mercanti
argot, and as you held your way wes
ward, and you get it to the oil regioi
of Pennsylvania, and lor a while Bra<
ford und Oil City, Franklin and Titu:
viile talked bull wheel and pipe lin
and dry holes and heavy oils and refii
ery, and tiink and drill and rigs ar
walking-beam and derrick and puni
until you could taste oil every time yc
talked. Then you moved along throujj
Johnstown and Pittsburg and heai
abouf blasts and open hearth furnace
and crucibles and Bessemer process an
rails, wire and ingot, until you le
them behind and Indiana was tVlkir
to you about staves and heads ar
hoop and poles and veneers and hat
woods and quinine and bent wood ar
'im!->< ? . onrl Im.anH-hvo Tllinn
got your ear ana said " c-o-r-n," an
you got across the Mississippi and oi
in Nebraska and heard a man say to
neighbor, " Ben. where is that timb(
claim of Johnson's?*' and you heard B(
reply briefly: "Twelve,tifteen,nine,"ar
yoa knew ihs.t you were in a country
land, and that eighties and quarter se
tions, and timber clairasand homestea*
and pre-emptions were to eonstitu
your conversational pabulum for tl
next two or three weeks, until yc
rejiched Colorado and began to hear a
say, and dips and lead, and angle
. ;purs and sinuosities, and claims, ar
carbonates, and that is as far west as
have been, and I don't know what the
alk about beyond there.?BurlingU
Jiawkeye.
A Cuban 'Milkman.
Few matters strike the observn
stranger with a stronger sense of the
peculiarity than the Cuban milkman
mode of supplying that necess:iry a]
laent to his town or city customer
Driving his sober kine from door to doo
he deliberately mi Iks .just the quantil
required by each customer, delivers i
and drives onto the next. The patiei
animal becomes as conversant with tl
residence of her master's customers ;
he is himself, and stops, unoidden,
regular intervals, before the prop
houses, often 1?>Jlowed hy a pretty litt
caif, which amuses itself by gazing
tlie process, whiie it wears a leatli
muzzle to prevent its interference wii
the supply of miik intended for anoth
quarter. Th< re are, doubticss, two go(
reasons for this mode of delivering mi
in Havana and the large towns In Cub
First, there can be no diluting of tl
article; and, second, it is sure to I
sweet and fresh, this latter a particlar d
sideratum in a climate where milk wit
out ice can be kept only a brief peri<
without spoiling. Ot course, the effe
upon the animal is by no means salutor
and a Cuban cow gives about one-thi
as much milk as one in America. Goe
are driven about and milked in the sar
manner.
k. Attica and Its Population.
:l Although we have not, nor are we
likely to have for years, any accurate
y- statistics of the population of the inter
ior of Africa, there is very little doubt
s* says a New York paper, that we have
1(1 greatly underrated it. Much importanl
information has lately been gathered or
:<| the subject, especially concerning the
'Jj distribution and destiny of the inhabit
ld ants of that far-off land. In the great
S) lake district, for instance, there are terr?
ritories as thickly settled as many Euroe'
pean states, relatively small areas possessing
millions of people. The negrc
re recions are by far the most populous.
a> while the desert portions arc the reverse,
A French geographical society gives the
~ estimated figures of various subdivisions
of that continent as follows: In the
I Soudan, the population is 80,000,000, 01
Jy about fifty-three persons per square
miie. The town of Bida, on the Niger,
for example, contains fully 90,000 inir
habitants. East Africa is rated at 30,000.000,
and Equatorial Africa at some
40,000,000 souls. A late authority or
01 ethnoloey sets down the negroes as
numerically 130,000,000; the Hamites,
20,000,000; the Bantas, 13,000,000; the
Foolahs, 8,000,000; the Nubians, 1,500,000;
the Hottentots, 50,000?making a
i total of 1/2,550,000. These figures?onij
approximate, of course?are considered
0 too low both by German and British
4-Uy* nofimafintr t li ?
CP gCUgl?pijeiO, lilt IUU11U uiLuun.vuif, ....
population as high as 200,000,000. Much
' hope has been repeatedly expressed ol
j the future of Africa, which is rich ir
mineral products, and capable of mainf
taining a prosperous commerce with
rg other parts of the globe. Along the
jq coasts and caravan roads thechief trade
, has been, and continues to be in slaves.
' It is thought that recent effort will yei
re do much toward abating the traffic.
Many of the tribe3 are a"bove the condi'
tion of savages. They have fixed habig~
tations, though merely mud-huts, de)V
fended by stockades, and have 3omf
laws or customs favorable to commerce.
' Among several tribes the native mer'
* ' 1
cnani is greatiy esiL-emcu, uuu wo piuy
j erty is safe even during war. The land
n iscultivated; the inhabitants wear dyed
" cotton clothes; gold and iron are ingenr"
iously manufactured and a certain kind
, of intelligence seems to be very slowly
spreading. What Africa most needs is
i free commercial intercourse with the
t outer world, and that must arrive. "Who
knows but that, in the coming cycles,
the highest civilization may not be found
where the first civilization arose?
S? Some Curious Facts About Memory.
M. Delaunay has made a communica"
tion to the 3oci.dc de Biologie respecting
, memory as studied under various biojg
logical conditions. The inferior races
Q of mankind, such as the Chinese, etc.,
j have more memory than those of a
,q higher type of civilization. Primitive
^ races which were unacquainted with
Iq the art of writing had a wonderful
^ I memory, and were lor ages m tue naoit
,n I of hanging down from one generation
to another hymns as voJuminoils as the
jg Bible. Prompters and professors oi
j declamation know that worn on Lave
j' more memory than men. French women
will learn a foreign language quicker
a than their husbands. Youths have more
a memory than adults. It is well develQ
oped in children, attains its maximum
H about the fourteenth or fifteenth year,
fe and then decreases. Feeble individuals
ol a lymphatic temperament have more
0 memory than the strong. Students who
;r obtain tho prize for memory and recitation
chiefly belong to the former class.
Parisian students have also less memory
than those who come from the provinces.
At the Ecole Normale and other schools
y the pupils who have the best memory
a are not the most intelligent. The memft
ory is more developed among the peas?S
antry than among citizens, and among
v the clergy than among the laity.
The memory remains intact in diseases
a of the left side ol the brain, and is much
ej affected in those of the right, from
1 which it. mav be inferred that the rieht
3t aide is more the sea* of this faculty than
in the left. From a physiological point of
j_ view memory is diminished by overq
feeding, by physical exercise and by education,
in this sense, that the illiterate
in have potentially more memory than
those who know how to read ana write.
We remember, moreover, better in the
morning than in the evening, and in the
summer than in the winter, and better
in warm than in cold climates. Memory
is therefore, to a certain extent, in inu
verse proportion to nutrition, and, more
ie than tnat, k is in inverse proportion to
r. evolution, since it is greatest in those
ie individuals who are the least advanced
;9 from an evolution pointof view?inferior
'n races, women, children, the'" feeble, etc.
ie In short, according to M. Delaunay,
? there is an evolution of the memory,
1C which is first sensorial, literal, and tnen
u intelligent; but memory, properly speak>n
ing, diminishes inversely as the evoluy
tion.?Medical Press and Circular. ,
A Jtemnrkable Scene.
to A few miles off the road down the
0f open and well-cultivated valley of the
ie Narbada, in Central India, is a might}
nl river pent up into a third of its width,
!e and for more than two miles boiling
t- along between two sheer walls of pun
1S white marble, a hundred feet in height,
with here and there a seam of dark green
3. or black volcanic rock, which enhances
Ps the purity of the marble like a setting ol
jet. What must be the charm, in n
k1 dusty Oriental land, of the coolness and
ip quiet of those pure cold rocks, and ol
,u trie deep blue, pclucid water. "The
h eye." says the traveler, " never wearies
d of the infinite variety of effect produced
by the broken and reflected sunlight,
[d now glancing from a pinnacle of snowft
white marble reared against the deep
blue of the sky; as from a point of silid
ver, touching here and there with bright
d lights the prominence of the middle
,d heights, and again losing itself in
j3 the soft bluish grays of their recesses,
el Still lower down the bases of the
jt clifls arc almost lost in the hazy
a shadow, so that it is hard to tell at
;r what point the rocks have melted into
in the water, from whose depths the same
K1 lights, in inverse order, are reflected as
of clear as above, but broken into a thoua..nr1
ntlirrnrinw Irnrrmnnta in Hip nwirl
is of the pool." Ttiis beautiful spot is inte
fested with bees, which, if disturbed,
ie many travelers have found very danger)U
ous; and, indeed, on one occasion tlicy
s- stung an intruder to death. The Marble
s> rocks. like almost every object of great
lfl natural beauty, have been sanctified by
f the Brahmins, and many of the comy
monest legends transported hither.
m Across the chasm, the monkey legions
of Hanuman leaped on their way to
Ceylon; the Celestial elephant of India
left his mighty footprint here in the
white rock. Temples to the Sivn
crown the light bank of the cliff, and
!.n by the river's edge is a favorite ghat for
}r the launching of the bodies of devout
j.s Hindus into the waters of Mothei
I1" Narbada, which are conscquentlj
3' polluted by ehoul-like turtles, mon
!r' strous tishes, and repulsive crocodiles
Y that fatten on the ghastly provcndei
^ t hus provided for them
ie
^ lVords of Wisdom.
at Passive, the soul weakens; active, il
er raises itself; to use is to live.
The honest man is a superior judge
at even in things which seem to have tin
e,r least relation to virtue.
th . ... ,
" We should give as we receive, cneer
j fully, quickly and without hesitation
Ik for'tiieieis no grace in a benefit tha
a sticks to the fingers.
l,e Men. not having been able to cur<
he death, miseiy and ienoranrte, have im
e- agined to maire themselves happy bj
h- notthinkingoftnesethings.
ad The ^:y-!ons of mankind are partlj
ct protective, partly bcneficbnt, like tin
y, chaff and grain of the corn; but nom
rd without their use, none without noble
its ness which seem in balanced unity witl
no fhn roar, nf t.hfi snirir, which thev ar(
\ charged to defend.
w *
Surgeon's Perils. F
; Many young physicians and surgeons,
i before completing their studies, pass
- through the regular ambulance service
, attached to the hospitals throughout jj
; he city, before they finish their course
t for professional practice. In this ser- ?
i vice, it can be safely said, they go qj
i through the most exciting portion of
their experience. They are not only u,
t afforded the benefit of studying emer- 0j
gency and accident cases, but also are r(
given an inside view of how people live. tc
The ambulance service of the Chambers
> street hospital is not very inviting work, ^
, and in many instances has proven highly ^
. dangerous. Dr. Cyrus Edson, a son of ^
; Mr. Franklin Edson, president of the C(
PfrtHimo 'P.Yi'.hftncfi. haRmefc with sevftral
! narrow escapes. Once, while he was
taking a powerful woman from some .
i house in Water street to the hospital,
, she attacked him; the doctor was look
ing out of the ambulance sounding the 01
. alarm gong to clear the way, when sud- w
i denly he felt a deathly grasp about his ai
l throat. The instant he made a move to 8e
i free himself, the woman quickly en- w
, deavored to throw him down, and leap 81
i from the ambulance. The vehicle had w
just crossed Broadway into Worth
v street, and but few people were aboul at tL
r the time. The woman was suffering
[ from delirium. Dr. Edson. aa the woman ts
i made a spring for the back of the ambu- bi
; lancc, caught her skirts and pulled her ci
i down. She then sank down from ex- lo
r Vnniofinn nnwprlpsfl.
i Another time he was called to a house tt
where two men had been shot. One of m
these was brought out to the ambulance a
i by an officer. The man looked wild and pi
s stared about vacantly The doctor at tc
once saw he was delirious. Suddenly h<
; he said to the doctor: "I am not going is
. into that ambulance, and if you do not
. drive it away I will blow out your T
. brains." As he uttered these words he 01
presented his cocked revolver at the ss
s doctor's head. The doctor apologized -w
, and recoile.i, and got in to the ambulance pj
as if he were going away. He lifted up ft
. the stretcher, and with one of its heavy se
[ wooden supports, struck the man a vio- tt
[ lent blow, felling him to the ground. He fa
. dropped the revolver, which the doctor y<
secured, and then the latter placed his tl
patient beside the other, which theoffii
cer had in the meantime brought out,
> in the ambulnnce.
i Dr. Charles E. Wilken, the former ai
, house surgeon, during his practice on 8e
| the Chamber street hospital ambulance, 18
nearly met his death one evening just Cf
after bringine in a patient. He was sitting
on the stoop of the hospital, when tc
. a tall man, dre^ed in black, came up ^
and spoke insultingly about a patient U!
! iust broueht in. The doctor rebuked i1'
: ihe man, but he kept on talking, and H1
drew a big revolver and pointed it at fV
, the doctor's body, gradually raising it up u
i in a line with his face. His movement cc
was noticed by Dr. George E. Moore,
: who happenr-d to be standing near, and ir
; as the man wa3 in the act of shooting, pi
Dr. Moore, the present house surgeon, fr
! seized the revolver. The weapon was 111
kept from the man. and is still in posses- ^
t sion of the superintendent at the hospital. j?
The man fled after his intentions were Ja
foiled, and his identity was never dis- P(
covered.
Dr. Culver, a substitute from the New al
York hospital, one evening answered a aj
call in Cherry street, which proved to at
be for a burly seaman, quite young, suf- P1
fering from alcoholism. After much w
trouble he was placed in the ambulance
and the conveyance went rattline along ?
until Chambers street at the city hall
was reached. Here Dr. Culvr beheld ^
his patient about to Jeap from tne ambulance.
The doctor at once made a P
move to keep him down, but the rough ir
seaman eat up, and whipping out a long
knife flourished it defiantly, and with d!
an oath said: " If you stop me from go- ai
ing out I will rip you open." Dr. Cul- m
ver coolly advised the man to remain v!
quiet us his journey was nearly at an V1
end. But the seaman would not listen, S8
and made a lunge with the knife at the w
doctor. The doctor drew a revolver, aj
and placing it to the seaman's head he
commanded him to lay down quick or he ]?
would fall a corpse. This acted like a ?
charm, and the seaman put away his 11
knife and quietly laid down.? New York ?]
News. *?'
fc
b<
England's Prime Ministers. -2
Below is a list of prime ministers o
England since 1762, which is worth
preservation for reference. The resig- cl
naLion of the Duke of Newcastle, in b:
i 1762, ended the long rule of the Whig T
party, which had continued uninter- u;
' ruptedly from the death of Queen tt
I Anne: ' ai
! 1762?Earl of Bute. . gi
1763?George Grenville. ai
1765?Marquis of Rockingham. it
1766?Duke of Crafton. "w
1770?Lord North. o]
1782 (April)?Marquis of Rocking- v
ham; died in office. ci
1782 (June) Earl of Sherburne. p<
\ j 1783 (March)?Duke of Portland. ii]
! | 1783 (December)?William Pitt. In
r 1801?Henry Addington. ai
1804?Wiliiam Pitt; died in office, g<
: January 23, 1806. li
' 1806?Lord Grenville. c<
1807?Duke of Portland. t
i 1809?Mr. Percival; assassinated. cf
i 1812?Earl of Liverpool. ol
! 1827 (April)?Mr. Cannine; died. -w
1827 (August)?ViscountGoderich. gi
1828?Duke of Wellington,
i! 1830?Earl Grey.
i j 1834 (May)?Viscount Melbourne. U(
i - 1834 (November)?Duke of Welling- ^
i ton; temporary appuiubiucut. ir
1834 (December)?Sir Robert Peel. j..
1835?Viscount Melbourne. u!
i 1841?Sir Robert Peel.
1846?Lord John Russell. ,
; 1852 (February)?Earl of Derby. b<
i 1852 (December)?Earl of Aberdeen. 01
1855?Viscount Paimerston.
1858?Earl of Derby. tl
; 1859?Viscount Paimerston; FdiedOo- w
! tober 18, 1865. ?(
1865 (October)?Earl Russell .(Lord 18
> John). * Bfl
! 1866?Earl of Derby. Sfl
1868 (December)?benjamin Disraeli; 111
resigned December 2. 1868. !
1868 (December)?William E. Glad- 1S
stone.
1874 (February)?Earl of Beaconsfield
(Disraeli).
1880 (April)?William E Gladstone.
ec
An Acoustic Trial. .
A vagrant ass, says the San Antonio g\
(Texas) Ilcraid, stood beside the track tl
1 of the Sunset railway at the depot this p;
' morning; an engine moved slowly up; B
J it stopped within a few feet of the ass, n:
1 i nrwi flip onnn'noer hlfiw one of those ter- 44
j" i rible screams, prolonged and ear-pierc- tl
| i ins:; such a blast as makes a sleeping
. ; Millerite dream of the day of judgment, n.
; i Did the ass scare? Not worth a cent! e<
Did he shake the sloth from his limbs, 0
[ j erect his tail and speed away like the p,
" i asses of Bassorah, faster than the Bed- u
; j ouin cours(;rs run back to the chapar- a
Iral? No, he didn't. He turned one ear ij
I toward the engine just as a deaf man
usi's his tin ear-trumpet, and caught n
i every particle of the sound. And when w
t | the steam-blown whistle ceased its y,
; notes and all the echoes died away, the | y,
| animal straightened out his neck, j
; j opened his mouth, and in a voice that ' t<
" j deafened all the railroad men and caused j tl
I the freight clerk to drop his pen,roared: 1 gi
' I " I can't!, T can't! I can't! I can't! be ! ^
j 1 beat! be'beat! be beat! be beat! I t]
h 1 ? i - i- - i 1 in I j
" 1 c-a-n-'t De-oe-DR-ne umii,; . u
1 a:
3 I " Pop," said little Johnny, looking ! o
" ! up from the sporting paper he was | gi
' : reading, "do ringd have cornel's P" j
i " Why rings are round, Johnny; there- o
1 | fore there can't be any corners to them." i tl
3 "Well,1' returned Johnny, "this ac- j
3 count of a prize tight says the princi- j ci
pals entered the ring and retired to their j e|
i respective corners." Johnny's spirit of; ti
i inquiry caused him to lose his paper.? : P
Norristoum Herald. 1 tl
ARM, WARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD,
Rcclpei.
Pudding Without Milk or Eggs.?
take a dough as for biscuits, or to every
int of flour one teaspoon of baking.
Dwder, half tablespoon of melted suet
r butter, saltspoon of salt wafer or
veet milk to make a soft dough; roll
alf-inch thick, cover with fruit
f any kind, sprinkle with sugar and
>11, pressing the edge down and ends
>gether; lay a cloth in a steamer, place
le dough on it and steam an.hour. If
ried fruits are used, they should first
2 stewed. Serve with sauce. This
iay be warmed over by steaming. Exillent,
and may he made with chopped
AUli uiiu auuttuicu luicc uwuio.
Snow Custard.?Beat eight eggs
aving out ttie white of four; add to
lem or e quart of milk and five ounce9
f sugar; have a shallow pan of hot
ater in the oven; set the dish into it,
id bake till the custard is thick; then
it away to cool; beat the remaining
hites very light; add half a pound of
igar and a teaspoonful of lemon juice;
hen the custard is cold lay the whites
rer the top in heaps, but do not let
lem touch.
Potato Sald.?Boil mealy white 50itoes;
mash fine; season highly with
atter, pepper, salt and a l^tle sweet
earn, rrepare asaiaa dressing as iuiws:
Mash perfectly smooth, with a
ttle water, the hard-boiled yolks of
tree eggs; add half a teaspoonful of
mstard, a whole teaspoonful of salt,
pour off the tea, and keep it in a cool
lace. Stir before using, and season
? the taste with salt and pepper. Eat
st or cold. N. B.?One pound of water
very nearly one pint (1.04.)
Beef Soup.?This is for invalids,
ake one and a half pounds of lean beef,
le ounce of rice or barley, pepper and
ilt, and one and a half pints of cold
ater; divide the meat into small
ieces; put this in a stone jar, covering
tightly; then place the jar in a ves:1
with hot water, and let it remain in
te oven for four hours. By uncoverig
the jar at the end of the cooking
ju can, of course, very much increase
ie strength of the soup.
The Vain* of Wood Aihei.
In estimating the effect or value of an
tide as a manure, experience or obrvation
is a better teacher than the
.boratory. Many years ago I tried the
irbonate, the sequi-carbonate, the biirbonate
and the nitrate of jpotassia as
p-dressings for crass land, side by side
ith leached wood ashes, and the latter |
id much the best effect, both immedi;e
and durable, of either article except |
le nitrate, and tne effect of that evimtly
depended upon its nitrogen. I
link there can be no doubt that silica,
imbined with pot&ssia as it is in wood
ihes, acts as a manure, notwithstandie
the assertion of some of your corresDndents
to the contrary. The experilce
of many farmers "in this "vicinity
is established the fact that leached
ihes are quite as good, if not better,
lan unleached when applied to grass
,nd. This could not be so vere the
jtash the effective ingredient.
Thousands of bushels of leached ashes
e brought here from Maine every year
id sold for twenty-five cents per bushel
: the vessel Do practical men who have
oved their value beyond question
hen thus applied.
The causticity of unleached ashes
ay be beneficial to peaty soils, orthose
iving much decayed vegetable matter,
y breaking down the structure of such
atter, and facilitating its decay, it
ay improve such soils. The dlssolvig
of such matter, however, will not
ake plant-food either immediately or
ifttofltr Vint, ronptifij this pffpp.fr. nn lv- bv
ding the decay or rotting of such
latter. Many years ago I tried to conr
irt peat?which is abundant in this
icinity?into manure. I found that a
iturated solution of carbonate of potash
ould dissolve every fiber of the peat,
id would give a dear liquor of the
)lor of strong coffee; but 1 could not
f dilution or in any other way, make
iat liquor nourish a plant. The potash
1 unleached ashes may also benefit
;her soils by rendering some portion
f their silica soluble, but it does not
illow that it is the active or most
sneticial element in wood ashes.?Geo.
raskellin. Country Gentleman.
Heaves In Horses.
Heaves is caused by over-feeding on
over, hay or straw, and sometimes
7 other bulky and innutritious foods,
he expansion of the stomach presses
pon ana interieres wim tne action 01
le lungs. Dusty liay, smutty straw
id other impure bulky substances may
ivc trouble sometimes by irritating the
r passages und cause heaves. Often
is constitutional, being inherited,
ith narrow chests and lungs incapable
f performing their true service during
iolent exertion. It is doubtful if it
in be entirely cured, but relief may be
jssible. Feed moistened cut feed,
ieal mixed with it, or steeped oats. A
orse with the heaves should be fed
id watered at least two hours before
sing out to work. The trouble is
able to return at any time, and no
;rtaintyof relief from it need be enT'.ained
by the owner. It is quite a
ire, when once a horse seems to be rid
f it, to keep him so. It is not common
ith horses that have the best attention
:ven to the preparation 01 their food.
Xladisliefl.
Many persons fail to grow crisp,
5rfect radishes because their soil is not
ght. Radishes delight in a sandy
iam?in fact, as fine radishes as we
ive ever seen or tasted grew in a sand
mk.
Those grown on heavy soil are apt to
2 tough and wormy. To remedy this
1 such soil haul on a load or two of
md and spade it in, mixine it through
le soil, having beds raised up so that
ater will not stand on them. A very
jodwayif the soil is heavy or stony
to make borders around with boards,
ty six inches high, and fill in with
md, having a little woll-rottedcompost
lixed through it, and on this grow the
idish seed. Try it, you who like radhes.?Fruit
Recorder.
Sound and Somnolency.
A -good ear may prove a compensaon
for the lack of grammatical knowlIge.
William King, a former editor of
an Francisco, wrote with remarkable
jrrectness, and occasionally with elefvnee.
He knew so little of grammar
lat he could hardly tell a verb from a
articiple 01 a noun from an adjective,
uthis good car saved him from gramlatical
blunders. If an article
sounded right," he knew it would pass
ic critics.
r\ r\f XK7o oIt 11 a rrortOVnl Q. Rpnift
v/lit vr* ?? uoaiu^iuu a g -j- |
lin Lincoln, had received an inferior
iucation. While lieutenant-governor
f Massachusetts, and collector of theDrt
of Boston, he wrote essays on comlerce,
agriculture and philosophy,
.fcer he hud written an essay, he would
avc it read aloud to him.
"I don't know anything about gramlar,"
lie said, by way of apology, "but
rhen I hear an article read I can tell
whether it is correctly written by the
rav it sounds."
General Lincoln had a constitutional
jndency to fall asleep at all time?, in
le midst of a conversation he would
addenly he "caught napping." He
ras commander of the Massachusetts
oops during Shay's insurrection. In
ictat.ing his dispatches, he would fail
3leep between the sentences. Persons
n the road not infrequently met the old
entleman driving and fast asleep.
General Scott, during the last years
fhis lift), was similarly afflicted. In
le early days of the civil war, h'* freuently
had to be kept awake by artitiial
means, long enough to transact necisary
business. Neither of these disnguished
men ever said with Sancho
anza, " Now blessings light on him
iat first invented sleep!"
Myopia and Its cause.
One of the prevalent defects of the
eyes, and one of the most common reasons
why so many glasses are worn, is
short-sightedness, or, in techical lan*
guage, myopia. Concerning the causes
of this but little is known. The affection
often descendsfrom parent to child;
and infants are supposed to be more or
less myopic at birth. Jt is thought that
the tendency to short-sight exists, in
most cases, at birth, and that it is in a 1
high degree hereditary. But it is possi- ;
ble, says Dr. Harlan, ihat it may Origin- 1
ate in later life from abuse of the eyes, il
and there is no doubt that it is decidedly, '
and often very rapidly, increased. It is !
most prevalent where civilization is ;
farthest advanced, is more common in
old than new communities, in cities 1
fK/i /iniinfmr amamr* Ky*o1
lunxi iu lut >. vsmini j 9 unu uuivu& ts******workers
and cultivated people than 1
manual laborers and illiterate persons. 1
There is relatively more of it in Ger- ;
many than in any other country, while
England has been mentioned as being
exempt from it in an unusual degree, i
But while much is yet to be learned <
concerning the origin and other phases '
of this visual defect, all the leading j
ophthalmic authorities, from Beer, who
wrote sixty years ago, to Carter, whose "
book has just been published, agree that i
there is an alarming development or in- 1
i crease of it during school life, and that !
this deplorable result is largely due to i
preventable causes. "There is gno 1
longer any room for doubt," says j
the last named writer, "that badlylighted
and badly-fitted schools form a i
great machinery for the development of
myopia; an4 it is probable that this i
machinery, where, as in Germany, it '
has for a long time been in unchecked 1
operation, may have an important in- i
fluence upon the form of eye-ball which i
will be inherited by large numbers of ]
the population." Dr. Harlan declares 1
that " it has been positively established ]
by careful and extensive statistics that |
short-sight is most frequently, if not almost
exclusively, developed during
school life." Dr. Cohn, of Breslau, (
made an examination some years ago of 1
the eyes.of 10,000 gchool-children, and ,
reported that 1,000 of the children were
short-sighted. And what is most sig- J
nificant, he found that the defect in- :
creased numerically and in degree as he .
ascended to the higher grades of sohools. j
Similar investigations have been made i
and corresponding facts found in Russia (
by Dr. Erismiann, and in this country \
by Drs. Agnew, Loring, and Tundy. ,
Dr. Tundy, of Detroit, in a paper read i
but a few weeks ago, reported that ]
among the school-children of that city .
he had found short-sightedness to in- ;
crease during the twelve years' course j
naught in the first to twelve per ,
cent, in the highest grade, or ,
one per cent. yearly. Among (
the specialists on this subject there is a j
marked unanimity as to the causes of
th:s irreparable but preventable mis- (
chief. The causes are found in the (
I failure properly to construct scnooi
buildings and to supply them with the
right kind of furniture, and in vicious
systems of instruction. Faulty construction
may be the means of impure air and
imperfeot light, both^of which are injurious
to the eyes. The eyesight may
also suffer from a.wrong direction of .
light caused by an improper construc- ;
tionof the windows, or an objection- ..
able arrangement of desks and seats. The
siztf and form of the desk and its rela- (
tiou to the seat have-an important bearing
on the proper use of tne eyesig&t.
" To use desks and seats of tne same
pattern and size for a large'number of
children of all ages," says Dr. Harlan,
" is not more rational than the system
of distribution of army clothing, by
which, as Dickens complained, all the
tall soldiers got the short pantaloons
and the short soldiers got the long ones.
If a child is uncomfortably seated, he
is pretty sure to lean forward on the
desk, thus bringing his eyes too close to
their work, and at the same time
overfilling their blood-vessels by
gravitation." . Dr. Cohn found the
most and the worst cases of shortsightedness
in schools that were
poorly lighted and furnished with obfeetionable
desks and seats. Other fruit'
* ' ?' i- - r L-J1_
nil causes 01 me miscmei are uuui>printed
school-books and pale ink. ProfDonders,
of Utrecht, one of the highest
authorities on this subject, declares that
"the foundation of near-sightedness is
mainly laid in schools, where by imperfect
light, the pupil? read bad print
or write with pale ink" To these mistakes
of construction and furniture are
to be added such evils of the system of
instruction as the admission of children
toojyoung, too much confinement, and
not enough out-door exercise, and prolonged
use of the eyes in study, writing,
etc. In Germany, Dr. Treichler has
lately calledattention to another phase
of this subject by showing an alarming
prevalence and' increase of headache
among school children. After inspecting
schools in Paris, Darmstadt, and
Ifeuenburg, he reported that one-third
of the pupils suffered from headache, a
result which he attributed to defectiva
school hygiene and over-exertion. The
causes which are fruitful of so much
headache cannot have other than an injurious
. ffect upon the eyesight,although
uhe mischief is not so soon apparent in
the latter as in the former case.
Bird's-eye View of the Honse of Repre>
sentatlres,
A recent visitor in Washington thus
.depicts the appearance of the "House of
Representatives while that body is in
session: But how can I describe the
disorderly and inattentive assemblage,
like a troop of badly managed schoolboys,
which greeted us? borne lounging
with heeis higher than head, or leg
stretched over a neighboring armchair;
some reclining on corner sofas, some
rushing from one desk to another,' some
walking about with surreptitious?I
hope they arc surreptitious?cigars in
hand or mouth, careless alike of rules of
debate and etiquette of good society.
Probably half?fully half?were busy
with books or correspondence, b'Jt the
tirst impression was so bizarre, so motley,
so wanting in the repose which
usually accompanies power, that only
the incongruities struck one. Some one
was vehemently declaiming with much
Gesture and force?Garfield, of Ohio, it
appened to be. It was a subject which
created much excitement, yet for any
genera! appearance of interest the members
might as well have been Kamschatka.
There was a moment's lull in
the vociferous voice, a dozen men
sprang to their feet hastily demanding
the speaker's attention; there were
hot words and motions; the chairman's
hammer rattled wildly; and then the
babel of tongues subsided, and the orator
continued to make his apparently
unheeded points until another pause
brought another tumult. You neard
calls about "points of order," which
seemed so ninny points oi disorder;
you heard quips and comments
and questions and answers and retaliations;
but that any grave business requiring
serious thought wtis going on
seemed hard to imagine. The cuspidors
scattered about on the floor, the air of
utter indifference, the negligence of position.
the incoherent cries and loud
murmur of different occupation were
what,iaost arrested attentionWhile
you are still, after two hours'
listening, uncertain what has been done,
.ir whether anything has been done,
there is a motion to adjourn, a pell-mell
retreat which carries all before it, and
the beautiful hall is emptied save; for a
few lagging souls who remain to' finish
a letter or look up a reference. Some
one tells you the bill has been passed,
or remanded for another hearing. You
see the whilom antagonists going out
friendly arm in arm, and your perturbed
spirit calms itself, while your
body follows the crowd through arched
corridor and wonderful rotunda and
pleasant paths of t.he Capitol grounds,
to recover its wonted serenity m taei
I quiet of the Arlington- I
I I ??n?m
A llLLUJU JL XVI IVOI
According to a statement made by
Dr. Blanck, absinthe causes some sixty
percent, of all the cases of insanity in
France. The liqueur, it appears, is produced
by the distillation of alcohol
with wormwood, either pure or mixed
with other herbs. Several are used
for the purpose of varying the flavor;
lor instance, the anise, the angelica,
etc. M. Magnan, in a series ol experiments
on animals, has ascertained that
the poisonous properties of absinthe are
much greater than of any other spirituous
liquor, even alcohol. The leading
members of the medical profession in
France are said to be strongly opposed
to teetotalism?that is, they not only
prescribe alcohol in various cases, but
recommend the use of such stimulants
to their patients in moderation; but
they unanimously condemn the use of
ftbsinthe.
The Eureka (Nev.) Leader relates a
miner's experiences to show that earthquake
shocks are not felt very far below
the surface of the ground. The
miner said that on the occasion of the
ast shake at Secret Canon he was at
work in a mine on Prospect mountain,
and although the tremor was plainly
felt by his partners on the surface, he,
at a depth of eighty feet, noticed nothing
unusual. He also said that through
an experience of fifteen years underground
he had observed one very peculiar
fact?that between the hours ol
twelve and two o'clock at night, it there
was a loose stone or bit of earth in the
mine it was sure to fall. Said he:
"About this time it seems that everything
begins to stir, and immediately
after twelve, although the mine has been
as still as the tomb before, you will hear
little particles of rock and earth come
bumbling down, and if there is a caving
[)iece of ground in the mine it is sure to
jive away."
Dr. Carter, an English medical auihority
on the eyes, attributes most of
;he blindness in every civiiized community
to ignorance and negligence.
According to his conclusions, but a
small percentage 01 tins visual iaumg
is congenital, the loos of sight in the
zreat jnajority of cases dating, not from
Dirth, as is erroneously supposed, but
from the first few days or weeks of life.
[)f those who are commonly believed
to have been born blind, he says that
the enormous majority, probably at
[east ninety-nine out of every hundred,
oring with them into the world eyes as
?ooa and as usefui as those of their
neighbors. The causes of infantile
blindness, he adds, are more frequently
to be found in carelessness and ignorance
than in all possible injuries and
diseases put together; and the carelessness
and ignorance are displayed most
frequently in the neglect of proper precautions
about light, cleanliness, and
temperature. The severity of this indictment
is felt more keenly when it is
known that there are in Great
Britain alone, according to Dr. Carter's
estimate, not fewer than 52,000 persons
who cannot see.
M. Michael Dragomanoff, formerly
of fTTniTroraiftr nf TTiflff nnH
now a member of the Russian revolutionary
organization, has addressed a
letter to General Melikoff, stating the
conditions on which the Russian revolutionists
will "conclude an- armistice'
with the government, which has been
extensively circulated at St. Petersburg.
The conditions are: 1. The dismissal of
all the governors appointed with arbitrary
powers since the attempt of April
2,1879. 2: Abolition of all the measures
ordered by them, and also of the exceptional
decrees of 1873. 3. Abolition of
the special tribunals established for the
hearing of political trials.- 4. An amnesty
and restoration of rights to those
persons who have been deprived of
them in consequence of the arbitrary
measures above referred to. 5. Abolition
of the third section, with all its agents;
guarantees against imprisonment without
trial. 6. Grant of freedom of the
press, the right of meeting, and the right
of forming societies. 7. Convocation of
a national assembly. The ex-professor
adds that it these conditions are not accepted
the contest .will be pursued by
the revolutionary party with all the
means at its command.
According to a New York paper there
is good reason to believe that Spain is i
now making money and increasing in |
population tb an extent almost without
precedent jn modern times. Ten years
of quiet, under a good government,
would probably put, her pretty nearly
among first-class powers. She is naturally
an even wealthier country than
France,because she has mineral resources
which France has not. But, while
nature has ioaded her with benefits,
priests and politicians have done all in
their power, and with great success, to
neutralize ail the fjood gifts of fortune.
Spanish nobles are now albeit rarely
resident on estates, much more :xtive
and energetic jthan they were thirty
years ago, and railroads are steadily
penetrating districts where produce was
worth little, on account of the cost of
carriage. In tact, if things go on well,
Spain is likely to become a formidable
competitor in the wheat market. Ford
declared that one of her provinces could,
if properly cultivated, supply a third of
EuroDe, and no wheat is superior?
scarcely any equal?to that of Spain.
The smallness of the population?there
being less than 18.000,000 to an area
thrice the size of England?has been a
puzzle to many people. The Spaniards
as a nation are a fine race physically,'
and resort to no means to check population.
The explanation seems to be contained
in one word?war, which has
continually robbed the country of men
inot. dnrinir those vears when they might
liave begotten offspring.
A Fight Between Bears.
It was found necessary one Sunday
recently to repair the polar bear water
tank at the Cincinnati Zoo, and for the
purpose the brown bears were driven
into the right compartments, so that
their pit could be occupied by the white
bears temporarily.
One of the iron doors of the compartment
not being fully closed, one of the
small brown bears discovered what he
considered intruders in his family's domain.
Every time one of the visitors
passed this opening he rammed one paw
through and tried to ?ive him a swipe.
Finally tbe male polar, when the paw
was stuck out, grasped it and dragged
its owner through the narrow opening
into the pit. The fight was terrific. The
contestant were unevenly matched,
but, nevertheless, the little brown bear
stood up to the work with admirable
pluck. Up and down the pit they went
in the deadly struggle, the little fellow
scoring the first point by bringing blood
from the polar's head. lor which he received
a rap that made his teeth rattle
and knocked-him about ten feet. They
came together again like a flash, and
quicker tnan uioiurinuue pomr iu?? uu
its hind legs with his enemy in his embrace.
As the pressure was applied the
bones could be heard to crack. Presently
the hug relaxed, and a dying bear
dropped to the pavement. The polar
now lor the first tim? seemed to be fully
enraged, and with great leaps jumped
up and down on the prostrate foe, uttering
deep, hoarse growls that called forth
an answering chorus from all the animals
surrounding. He at last held the
carcass uown wim one paw ana commenced
rending the bear with his teeth.
The keeper, who had opened the doors,
making a passage way through to the
polar's quarters, now went to woik with
a long, pointed iron rod, and succeeded
in driving the polars back to their quarters.
The beauty of a man part:ng his hair
in the middle appears to be that it gives
both ears an equal chance to flap.
rhe night may be dreary and somber and sa*5,
And swiftly may speed the wild rack in the
sky;
The occan may roar on the ware-beaten shore,
Bat the dawn ol the bright golden morning 1
is nigh! 1
The tempest may gather, the thunder ma
roll,
And the frightened birds bide from .the
lightning's sheen; ,,
Bat far in the East, from its slumber released,
The dawn of the bright golden morning is
' seen!
The bitterest sorrow may gatner aronna,
And banish the smfleto give place to m tsar;
Bat time will relieve all who tremble and
grieve,
For the dawn ot the sweet smiling morning
is near! '
Then do not despair, oh ye weary and sad!
For joy will disperse e'en the shade ot a
, ,
Bright days will come back, and the mi?ht and
the lack
Will fleo when the dawn of the morning
nigh!
?Edward Oxtnford '
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
:-s * i :? (?it; ' '*ri$
There are eighty-two 'Mormon
churches in England and Iceland.
Charges and counter-charges are made
in every retail store.?New York News.
The gold yield of Victoria, Australia,
in 1879, was less than half what it' was
in 1868. ' . - ?r'V ,
A little girl said she liked sea-bathing,
"only her mouth leaked and let in the
saltwater."
Kioyte Bakin, the popular Chinese
M-a. \ -"-i ^MiahaW o MOW WrtTfol '
novelist, IMS JIU5U uuiguvu tm Mwvp uv r vM
in 106 volumes. ,
Tliere is a Bible in the library of the
University of Gottengen written on
5,476 palm leaves.
To stop the squeaking of boots and
shoes, boil linseed oil and saturate the
soles with it thoroughly.
Only 829 of the 2,126 commissioned
officers in the United States army are
graduates of West Point.
No matter how fine a book you wish
to purchase, you'll^first want to find the
book's tore.?Marathon Independent.
The egg has been regarded from time
mmemorial in Egypt, Persia, Greece,
Rome and Gaul as an emblem of the
universe. *
The valuation of the real estate of
Maine is $222,338,824, not including the
wild lands, estimated to be worth some
$5,150,000 more.
The lian who tried softsoap to smooth
the harshness of his wife's tongue says
it took off a little of the roughness, but
it made it run much fester. *
M. Geordigiana, of Florence, recently
painted, in a little hss than two hours,
a fine portrait of a Philadelphia public
man-, for which he received S600How
many are tbere in the world
uevisea oy boa s gruut piau,
Who can look into a looking-glass 1
And neo an honest man.
?!*St*ubtnville Herald. '
Cards are said to have been invented
in France in 1391, to amuse Charles IV.
during the intervals of a meiancholy
disorder. Piquet and all the early games
are French.
The railway system is rapidly extending
in Japan, two lines having been recently
completed in the island of Niphon
and a third in the island of Yeaso, thr
most northerly of the Japanese group.
.The two musk-deer lately added to
the collection in the Philadelphia zoological
garden are diminutive animals
?less than eight inches in height^-nlthough
fully "matured. They jcome
from Java.
Physician to government- .clerk:
"Well, what do you complain of?"
G. C.: " Sleeplessness, doctor." Physician:
"At what time do you go to
bedP" G. C.: "Oh. I don't mean at
pi^ht, but during office hours!"
nnv,rt nnn r!hin?m?m nn the Paolfio
coast in 1875 have been reduced to about
50,000. Of the 25,000 who are gone
about 5.000 went to the Sandwich Islands,
10,000 returned to the Celestial
kingdom and 10,000. have gone East and
to other lands.
A Mrs. Mattox, of Centerville,
Georgia, has a rare collection of old
newspapers, some of them dating before
the revolutionary war. In one of
them is an advertisement of General
Washington, who offers a reward tor a ,
runaway slave. ... >
A very complicated astronomical T.
clock, forwhich the owner, Felix Meier,""
has been offered #45,000, is exhibited in
Rochester. Meier passed ten years sf
constant labor making it, and it is de|
scribed as a wonderfufpieee of mechanism.
A skeleton strikes the hour.
There are onljr eighty-one female
clerks employed in the imperial telej
graph serriwLof Germany, and it has
I been determiiftd that when any vacancies
occur they shrill be filled by male,
not female clerks. But few female clerks
are employed by the private telegraph
companies.
There is a man at Luray, Va ,who be
came convinced, when young, that
kissing was wicked, because Christ wa&
betrayed by a kiss. He resolved never to
kiss anybody. He has been married v
twenty years, and is the father of eleven
children, but has never kissed his wile
or one of his offspring.
A young lady who read that "it is
luckyto pick up a horseshoe," happened
in a blacksmith shop the other day and
picked up one. The surprising suddenness
and piercing shriek with wliich she
dropped it showed that it was unlucky.
The blacksmith had just made the shoe,
and it was as not as a dkisi jui n;iv;i;.
Pins are of very ancient, invention, as
they were manufactured by theEcyptians
in the time of the Pharaohs. Many
of these useful articles were found in
the tomb? of kings ia tho pyramids.
Some of them were of quite elaborate
manufacture, and must have been costly,
as they had gold heads and were six to
eight inches in length.
The Yosemite valley, first made
known to the public in 1855. had 1.022
visitors in the following U-n years.
Thenceforward the number annually increased
slightly until 1874, reaching
2,711 in that year. In 1875 it becttn to
retrograde a little, and was 2,4*23; in
1876 it was further reduced to 1,917. in
1877 to 1,392. in 1878 to 1,18? in 1879,
owing to the Sunday-scnool convention
being held there, it rallied a little, and
was 1,385. The San Francisco CWJ says
that very careful inquiry shows that;
the average expenditure of each tourist
is $600.
A New Electric Wonder.
A French engineer named Piirod.
' -? > j! j
Claims lo nave uiscovereu ;t lut-ima ui
conveying large quantities of electricity
over long distances and distributing it
at any number of points on the way,
exactly like gas or water. Electricity
of sufficient tension is produced in ilie
ordinary manner, but. instead of transmitting
it by the usual wires or cable,
it is conveyed through immense continuous
truncated pipes having the
same qualities as Leyden jars. The
tension is uniform throughout, and it is
thus possible to divert the fluid as may
be required at different points for various
industrial purposes. The invention
dispenses witl) steam engines, oitruui
may be replaced by waterfalls, and
great economy in the production of electricity
is effected. The inventor believes
that the Niagara might be utilized
and electricity transmitted from the
Horseshoe falls to New York or Boston.